Madrid, Spain, Jun 9, 2016 / 05:02 am
Known for kneeling to pray an 'Our Father' before his races, renowned motorcyclist Luis Salom died June 3 after an accident while practicing for Spain's Grand Prix.
The 24-year-old once told the press that he prayed not to win but "because I really believe and it's my aim to ask that that everything goes well, that nothing happens, and so we can all finish the race."
"I do it because I want him to protect me, so that nothing happens to me and so that I will come back home safe and sound," he told OK daily. Salom, nick-named locally as "the Mexican," was Catholic and did not hesitate to publicly express his faith.
During a practice session Friday at the Montmeló racetrack in Barcelona, Salom could not negotiate a turn and crashed straight into the air-fence barrier at around 90 miles per hour. His mother always attended his races, and was in the stands the day he died.